Look Back:Pominville is one of the more under appreciated players on the team, and I think a sense of his value was felt during the playoffs in his absence. In the five games he played, he contributed four points and was crucial to the penalty killing unit that helped stall the Flyers attack. He reached 20+ goals for the fifth straight season, but his total point production dropped below 60 points for the first time in that stretch. Fan frustration stems from the contract Pominville signed in 2008, allowing him to make $5m a season. In many ways Pominville was a benefactor of the July 1st, 2007 debacle that forced the front office to lock up some of their younger players. While Pominville’s contract may be slightly high for his production, he still remains one of the more valuable components for the Sabres on the ice.

Look Ahead: According to Cap Geek, Pominville is locked up through the 2013-14 season and based on the aforementioned salary, he is highly unlikely to be anywhere else other than Buffalo. He’s a two-way player from which the team needs consistent 20+ goals and 60+ points. Over the last five seasons, he has averaged over 80 games per year and recovery from the severely cut tendon in his leg is on schedule. Pominville is and will remain a crucial part of this team going forward at only 28 years of age.

Fake Darcy’s Take: The baby-faced assassin, that’s the meaning of the“A” on his chest. At the draft, we were torn between him and Matt Keith. We drafted Pommers because he had a cool name. There’s your peek into the inner-workings of draft night. He’s our perennial Lady Byng candidate. We all cringe in the box when he accidentally trips someone. It displays an incredible amount of self-discipline for a player to take part in 82 games and amass only 18 PIM. Discipline, yeah that’s what we’ll call it.